Elijah McIntosh
After being diagnosed with a severe esophageal carcinoma in his home country, Elijah was given a life expectancy of only six months. Seeking alternatives, he traveled to Miami, USA, where doctors declined to start chemotherapy due to his advanced malnutrition and low weight. On the verge of losing hope, and after receiving negative prognoses in both Cuba and North America, a physician in the Bahamas recommended an immediate transfer to Hospital Serena del Mar in Colombia.
Upon admission to the Cancer Institute in 2024, Elijah presented a six-month history of progressive weight loss and a total inability to swallow solid foods, relying exclusively on a gastrostomy tube for nutrition. Specialists confirmed a stage 3 esophageal carcinoma with extension into the stomach, immediately activating a highly complex, multidisciplinary management plan.
" Basically, I was actually a dead man; both Cuba and America already had me over. But here in Colombia, they actually brought me back to life," Elijah recalls. His comprehensive treatment included six cycles of chemotherapy concurrent with 28 sessions of radiotherapy. Simultaneously, the hospital's Metabolic and Nutritional Support team intervened, playing a crucial role in helping the patient regain his ideal weight and the strength necessary to overcome the disease.
Beyond the clinical success, Elijah highlights the human warmth of the hospital: "I was always greeted by the warm and friendly staff who always gave me words of encouragement, saying: 'Don't give up, everything is going to be all right. You are in the right hands'. It was a mind-blowing experience to be here, knowing that I was on the verge of dying."
Three months after completing his therapies, Elijah returned for his follow-up checkups, and the results were definitive: he was completely cancer-free. "When I went back to the Bahamas, everyone was surprised when they saw me, because when I left the Bahamas, I could hardly walk. They said they were wondering what those Colombians did; it's like I resurrect from the grave." Today, Elijah no longer requires a gastrostomy tube, remains disease-free, and has fully recovered his quality of life.
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